Naruto's New Path
by Andril
Summary: At six years old, Naruto is already tired of the hatred that he endures in Konoha. He decides that it's time to run away and learn how to be a ninja on his own. Fortunately, he meets some new people along the way. Naruto will never be the same because only the legendary strength of Tsunade could beat the stupidity out of him as she trains him as a medical ninja after her own heart


**{A/N} Hi, Andril here. This is my first attempt at a Naruto fanfiction. I only have a vague idea of what the story is and where it will go so if there is going to be a pairing, (There probably will be), it is completely undecided right now. I'd really appreciate feedback, comments, and advice so that I can better write this story. This is my take on a fairly common trope so I hope everybody enjoys it.**

* * *

The night was dark as a young blonde boy snuck through the streets and alleys of Konoha. The heat was oppressive and sweat beaded along the the rim of the goggles that he kept on his forehead. Grimly he soldiered on though, sneaking up the cliff path towards his goal. After dodging a few sleepy guards he arrived at his destination, the top of the Hokage monument. He slung the heavy backpack off his back and reached in, pulling out a long length of rope as well as four bottles of spray paint. The rope was tied off around a tree and around his waist and the spray paint went into various pockets on his bright orange coat. Stifling a giggle he began to rappel down the face of the First Hokage, "Those stupid villagers have been treating me like garbage ever since I figured out how to walk. Before I go, I'll just leave them a little parting gift."

Three hours later as dawn began to brighten the sky the young prankster was back down in Konoha's streets, backpack slightly lighter without the rope or spray paint, staring up at his handiwork. Each of the Hokage's faces had a variety of patterns in all different colors drawn on them. The one he was most proud of though was the Fourth Hokage's face. A grin broke out on the boys face as he turned away muttering the words he'd scrawled across the Fourth's face only a few hours previously, "So long Konoha."

It was just his luck that he bumped into a Chuunin heading somewhere far too early. The small boy fell back onto his butt and looked up to see the Chuunin glance down and quickly dismiss him, but a moment later look sharply at him before growling, "What are you doing out so early demon child."

Naruto stuck his tongue out and said, "I'm not doing anything. I'm just walking around."

The older man's brow furrowed and he let out a huff of annoyance before seeming to lose interest in Naruto, looking up as he began to step away. Naruto inwardly grinned as he stood up but his smile turned sour when the Chuunin stopped, staring up into the distance. Naruto tried to creep away when he heard the sputtering sounds coming from the older man. He didn't make it far before he was picked up by the collar of his orange jacket and brought face to face with the now extremely angry man. Red faced, the Chuunin bellowed, "What the hell did you do to the Hokage monuments!"

Naruto grinned and his hand began inching towards a particular pocket on the side of his jacket, "All I did was make them better. Don't you agree?"

The older ninjas body was shaking with rage now as he yelled, spit flying, "You brat! I should kill you for defacing the Hokage's like that!"

Instead of anything fatal though he cocked back a fist and punched Naruto straight in the face, throwing him back against a wall. The small boy landed with a grunt but stood shakily back up, smile never having left his face. The Chuunin was grumbling, "When the Third hears about this you're going to be in serious trouble brat. Hey! What the hell are you still smiling about."

"You'll never catch me!"

Naruto threw his homemade smoke bomb at his feet and saw the surprise in the Chuunin's eyes before he was surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Not wasting a moment Naruto darted into a nearby alley and set off at breakneck pace for the front gates. He darted through the back alleys that at the tender age of six he already knew like the back of his hands. Naruto knew from experience that he had ten minutes to get out of the city before the entire police force was mobilized to find him. His smile faded for a few moments as he recalled the last time he'd graffiti'd the Hokage monuments before it came back full force, "I'm on my way out anyway, if they can't catch me they can't beat me up, trash my apartment, or destroy all my instant ramen. I'm taking my ramen with me!"

The small boy saw another man in a Chuunin's vest storming down the nearly empty street and darted into another alley, pressing himself against the wall. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle as the man stormed past the alley, grumbling about stupid kid's and being awake all night, 'I've been awake all night but I have enough energy to keep going for the entire day!'

With that heartening thought Naruto left the alley and began running down the street, nearing his destination. He dashed down the last street before making a left, stopping for a moment when he saw that the great gates of Konoha were open before him. Naruto's enthusiasm was too much to hold in, "Alright! Time to get out of here!"

"Get out of where, Naruto?"

The hyperactive blonde jumped five five feet to the right to get away from the hand on his left shoulder and pointed a finger at the old man that had appeared behind him, "Don't scare me like that old man!"

The Third Hokage's lips twitched in a smile but he said gravely, "You seem to be going somewhere Naruto."

Naruto kept his finger pointed straight at the Hokage, "I'm leaving Konoha!"

Sarutobi's eyebrow quirked and he reached a hand up to stroke his beard, "That is troubling Naruto. I can't in good conscience let a six year old run off by himself, especially after what you did to the Hokage's monument."

Naruto's teeth shone in a bright grin, "It's a real piece of art isn't it?"

This time the Hokage's mouth quirked into a frown, "You should not disrespect the Hokage's of the past that way Naruto, especially the fourth."

Naruto crossed his arms and scrunched his eyebrows together in anger, "Who cares? All of the villagers hate me, I bet the old Hokage's would hate me too."

"I do not hate you Naruto. In fact I bet you could find many people in the village that do not hate you."

Naruto snorted, "Thats a lie old man. Everyone here hates me. I can't walk down the street without people glaring at me or whispering about me or even trying to beat me up. Well, I'm done with it! I'm going to go out into the world, learn how to become a strong ninja, and then come back and show everyone how great I am by becoming Hokage!"

This time a larger smile came to Sarutobi's face, "That's admirable Naruto. But don't you think it would be better to become a Konoha ninja? If you aren't a Konoha ninja you won't be able to become Hokage."

Naruto blew a very rude raspberry, "Once I'm a ninja, I will definitely come back to Konoha and become the Hokage," he suddenly turned downcast, "I bet they wouldn't even let me into the ninja academy anyway. That's why I have to do it on my own."

"If I took you back now you'd just find another way to escape, and probably cause much more destruction in your wake."

Naruto's grin was blinding, "You're right about that old man. There's nothing you can do to stop me!"

The Hokage reached up to tip his hat forward, hiding the knowing smile on his face from the energetic blonde, "If you're quite sure that there's nothing I can do to stop you then I guess I have to let you go."

Naruto nodded seriously and shouted, "Alright! I'm out of here!"

He marched forward but heard Sarutobi's voice, "Catch."

A pouch came flying over his shoulder and Naruto stuck his hands out to catch it, feeling it jangle in his hands when he did, "That's your allowance for this month. If you're leaving I can hold the payments until you get back."

Naruto turned a thankful smile on Sarutobi, "Thanks old man, you aren't so bad after all."

Annoyance flashed over the elderly mans face, "Of course not brat! Here, take this too."

A kunai came flying at Naruto and he barely caught it before it stuck into him, "Hey! That's sharp! Watch where you're throwing things!"

"That's my favorite Kunai. I want it back one of these days brat."

Naruto's face scrunched in confusion, "Why are you giving me this?"

Sarutobi turned his back before saying, "You'll need something to defend yourself with out there brat. The world is a dangerous place. And, maybe it'll remind you of Konoha, you're home, and maybe you'll come back one day and show us how great a ninja you've become."

A slow grin spread over Naruto's face this time, "I'll be back old man, you'd better believe it!"

The small boy watched the Hokage's back as he slowly walked back into the depths of Konoha, not seeing the sad smile on his face. When his only friend was gone from sight Naruto turned around and stared at the entrance once more, 'If the old man says I can do it, then I can definitely do it. So let's go!'

With the energy that only a six year old could have setting off on his first grand adventure, Naruto flew out of the gates of Konoha and down the main road. After six hours he wasn't as energetic. His long night was catching up with him and he was trudging wearily down the road. In the distance he could see a town but even that couldn't give him more energy. He mumbled as he walked, "Sleep… Ramen… Sleep… Sleep…. I'm so tired…"

After another twenty minutes of walking the tired boy reached town. The first thing he did was find a hotel, slap some money on the counter mumbling about sleep, and go to the room that the kindly old lady led him to. Naruto dropped his pack on the ground and fell face first onto the sleeping mat laid out on the floor, already fast asleep.

Hours later, sometime in the late afternoon, Naruto woke up to the sunset streaming in through the windows. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before stretching his arms wide, trying to fully wake himself up. He couldn't seem to shake his sleepiness until his stomach rumbled and he shot up shouting, "I'm so hungry, I need some Ramen!"

The excitable boy grabbed his frog wallet out of his backpack, putting in the money that the old man had given him, and dashed out of the hotel. When he got to the street he frantically whipped his head both ways looking for a ramen stand, but the crush of people prevented the small boy from finding one. Naruto scrunched his eyebrows together before picking a direction and running. He dodged easily through the throng of people moving up and down the street until he finally found a small ramen booth off to the side. He ran up to it and quickly hopped onto one of the stools shouting to the man behind the counter, "I want your biggest bowl of ramen! With everything on it!"

The man laughed and began reaching for ingredients, "You think you can eat all that little boy? I serve the best and the biggest bowls of ramen in this entire town!"

Naruto nodded very seriously, "I can eat anything you put in front of me if it's ramen!"

With a smile the man began cooking the ramen, and Naruto could only salivate as he watched the man work. In a few minutes his food was done and a steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of him. It was indeed, a monstrous portion but Naruto could only gulp in anticipation before clapping his hands together, saying, "Itadakimasu!" and digging in.

Halfway through slurping some noodles there was a disturbance in the streets behind Naruto but he didn't pay any attention to it until a small pig, oddly wearing a red jacket and pearl necklace, came squealing into the ramen stand and jumped straight into Naruto's lap. For a moment the boy was miffed that his meal was interrupted but one look at the pig and he could only grin, "What are you doing here eh?"

His question was answered a moment later when two large angry men stomped into the ramen stand. One of them, whom Naruto decided to name Crooked Teeth, pointed an accusatory finger at the pig, "I've got you now! You won't get away this time! Once I've got you that old lady will have to pay her debts back to us!"

Naruto scratched his head and glanced at the pig before saying, "Umm… I don't think pigs have money."

The two men looked at him, only now registering his presence and the second one, whom Naruto named Nose Hair, said, "Buzz off kid. This isn't any of your business."

Naruto nodded his head, "The pig jumped into my lap, so it's my friend, so I'm making it my business."

Crooked teeth snorted, "You're what, six? Hand over the pig and we won't have to hurt you kid."

Naruto gently set the mystery pig next to his bowl of ramen and hopped down from his seat before striking a stance and pointing a finger at the two men, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and there is no way I'm going to let you capture this pig! You'll eat my new friend and I don't like that!"

A new voice, female this time, sounded from behind the two men, "Tonton… is not… food."

The two men turned around, a slight tremble running through their bodies, and Naruto looked past them to see a small woman with short black hair, wearing a black kimono with white trimmings standing just behind his self appointed opponents. Her face looked more used to a smile, rather than the demonic glare that now possessed it. Crooked Teeth and Nose Hair stammered, "He-hey now…"

That was all they could manage before two fists came forward and blasted the two of them out of the ramen stand and into the street. Naruto watched in awe as the new woman followed them and hissed, "If you try and eat my pig I will…"

The last part was too quiet for Naruto to hear but it must have sufficiently scared Nose Hair and Crooked Teeth because they quickly stood up and backed away, bowing as they went, muttering apologies. They finally got out of sight and he could see the tension leave the woman's shoulders as she turned around and came back to the ramen stand. Naruto's new friend immediately squealed and jumped into the woman's arms. She turned to Naruto and smiled at him, "Thank you for protecting Tonton, that was very brave. She decides that she wants to go on adventures sometimes and then this happens. My name is Shizune."

Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment at her praise, "It was nothing. I wouldn't be a very good ninja if I couldn't help my friends."

Surprise passed over Shizune's face and then she smiled at him again, "You're a little young to be a ninja aren't you?"

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted, "Well, I'm not a ninja yet. That's why I'm on my training trip. I'm going to get strong and become a great ninja!"

"Oh reall…"

Her reply was cut off by a louder, coarser female voice shouting, "Shizune! Where are you!"

Shizune sighed and stepped out of the ramen stand, and Naruto quickly followed. Stumbling towards the pair was a woman of average height, but an incredibly large bust, and long blonde hair pulled back into two loose ponytails. She was wearing a green haori, and underneath was a grey blouse and dark pants. She spotted Shizune stepping out of the stand and seemed to perk up, "Have you found Tonton yet? Oh good you have! Let's go back to the bar and celebrate with some more sake!"

Naruto watched with interest as Shizune sighed, "Don't you think you've had enough Sake for tonight Tsunade? I don't think we even have money left for sake!"

Tsunade laughed, "Nonsense! We have a tab running."

Shizune sighed again, "In a moment. I was just thanking this young man here for defending Tonton from your debt collectors."

She turned to him, "I don't think I caught your name."

The boy grinned and hooked a thumb towards himself, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I like ramen, and I'm going to become a ninja and the best Hokage the world's ever seen!"

Shizune paled a bit but her smile didn't waver. Tsunade however, burst out laughing, the alcohol induced redness in her cheeks rapidly giving away to the redness of someone laughing at the funniest thing they've ever heard. She gasped out through laughs, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard kid. Why don't you go back to mommy and daddy and forget about being a ninja."

Naruto glared at her, "I don't have a mom or a dad! And there's no way I'll give up on being a ninja! I'm going to make everyone in Konoha acknowledge how great I am!"

Shizune's face softened at his words and Tsunade stopped laughing, catching her breath before saying, "The world's tough isn't it kid. Don't make it harder on yourself by becoming a ninja. It isn't worth it. The Hokage is a position for fools and foolish old men."

The six year old boy drew himself up as tall as he could and said, "Nobody insults old man Hokage except me. You'd better take back your words right now!"

Tsunade looked at him quizzically, "What's your story anyways kid? If you're from Konoha then what the hell are you doing out here?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, "Like I'd tell a mean old lady like you."

A vein seemed to pulse in Tsunade's forehead and she stepped forward, balling her first, "Why you little brat!"

Shizune intervened, stepping between them and holding up two hands to try and calm the angry woman, "He's just a little kid, why don't you take Tonton back to the bar and get some more Sake. I'll talk to Naruto and make sure he's alright."

Tsunade stopped and then with a derisive snort, grabbed Tonton from Shizune's arms and marched off towards the nearest bar. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her back but swiftly pulled it back in when Shizune chuckled, "Come on Naruto. I'll take you back to our hotel room and we can talk there."

Naruto smiled up at her, "Alright! Do you have any food there?"

With a laugh she took his hand and led him off through the streets.


End file.
